The 59th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament reached its midpoint with more than half of its record $2,411,650 purse still up for grabs.

Only 76-of-177 boats entered in the Big Rock elected to fish Wednesday. Anglers who went offshore tallied 14 billfish releases: eight blue marlins, five white marlins and one sailfish. But no blue marlins were boated as the Big Rock first half came to a close. Read more »

Huge gamefish catches and a late flurry of billfish releases provided much of the excitement Tuesday during the second day of fishing in the 59th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. A new leader emerged in the “Winner-Take-All” (WTA) dolphin category and a near-record wahoo was brought to the scales as leaders in the blue marlin division remained positioned just as they were when the day began. Read more »

Run-Off ran off with $467,500 Monday when the Morehead City-based charter boat landed a 533.8-pounder to grab the inaugural lead of the 59th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.

Run-Off captain Brian Harrington, Morehead City, and his first mate, Marty Hiatt, worked with Matt Hanley of Glen Allen, VA, to help the seasoned angler land his first-ever blue marlin. All three said teamwork was the key to their success during the 92-minute fight. Read more »

Late Sunday registrations and early Monday upgrades pushed the 59th Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament purse to $2,411,650 just minutes before the competition began, setting and breaking records with each new sign-up.

By 9 a.m. Monday – the time lines went into the water and registration ceased – it became clear that this year’s event would be historic in many ways. Read more »

There was a quiet excitement at Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament headquarters Sunday as event officials and staffers watched fishing teams continued to register for the upcoming six-day competition. Shortly before 2 p.m. it became official: Big Rock’s purse exceeded $2 million for the first time in tournament history.

By 5 p.m. Sunday, 172 boats were registered to take part in the competition. The purse surged to $2,321,975 and was expected to grow even more Sunday evening. Read more »